


Devoid of Stars

by TheAngstQueen (AyonixAnimations)



Series: Connections AU [CAU] [3]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Connections AU, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I'm such a fucking simp for him tbh, Panic Attacks, SBI are a family in CAU lore just not completely biologically, There aren't a lot of official tags tbh, What are the odds my first canon fic to the lore of CAU is Eret-centric, full of mistakes and not caring, not beta we die like wilbur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27911440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyonixAnimations/pseuds/TheAngstQueen
Summary: The aftermath of being told that you're going to betray your friends and family, to get themkilled, is not pretty, and you can’t just avoid the problem until everything falls apart around you. It's quite literal in this case.In which Eret struggles to pick up the pieces after Dream blackmails him into betraying L'manberg. Thankfully Tubbo is there to help.
Relationships: Eret & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Series: Connections AU [CAU] [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2040550
Kudos: 43





	Devoid of Stars

**Author's Note:**

> THANK GOD THIS ACTUALLY GOT DONE! I moved in the middle of writing this so it ended up taking me like 2 weeks to write it because I either couldn't work on it, or was too mentally exhausted to write.
> 
> My first, and the first, canon drabble for the Connections AU. I do need to give some context because I for some reason am posting all these drabbles instead of an info work to explain what CAU even is.
> 
> The void is like limbo, it is a realm where the death go before they respawn, it is the same as the one in the end, and it exists between realms and servers (Server hopping does exist- it'll be explained in the info work, just wait lol). The concept of being voided means you were killed and stuck in the void, unable to get out. (You can live there infinitely, there is no passing of time, you cannot become hungry or thirsty, you won't age, etc. You can't die in there, more info in the work I'll add to the series eventually-) Beings born inside of the void/abyss/Beyond, are called Voidbound. As the name implies they are bound to the void and cannot leave. If a Voidbound has the power to leave through an ability that allows them to make rifts between realms then they are known as an Abyssal. Both beings are not commonly known about, but are hunted down for existing by the people who do know about them. Eret is one of these Abyssals.
> 
> And that's all the context you need to know. This takes place after Dream offers the deal to betray L'manberg. Disclaimer I didn't find out about the SMP until before the elections, so I actually never saw how this whole L'manberg betrayal Eret did went down. It doesn't really matter though because the reason he does it is not the same in CAU's lore.

“Where have you been?”

Eret jumps at the voice, not expecting anyone to be awake at this hour. He frowns at Tommy as he clutches his chest, trying to calm his heart. “Jesus, you scared me. Why are you awake?”

Tommy squints his eyes, crossing his arms. “I asked you first.”

‘Right, I forgot how stubborn he can be.’ Eret thinks to himself, taking a few breaths to push away the adrenaline from being scared and give himself some time to remember his excuse. “I’ll be honest,” _‘Liar.’_ “, I left earlier looking for supplies, which I thought I told Wilbur before I left. After collecting some stuff I ended up resting under a tree far longer than I wanted to.” Eret sighs softly and shrugs slightly. “It took a while to come back.”

“Why the fuck would you-”

“Ah ah, you asked your question already, time to answer mine.” Eret interrupts making the teen groan dramatically.

He motions to the house behind him. “Tubbo wanted to look at the stars tonight and asked me to go with him since he’d be leaving the walls.” Tommy looks at the ground, kicking at some dirt before he makes eye contact with Eret again. “He was really worried about you, you know.”

Eret’s eyebrows raise in surprise, even as dread settles in his stomach. The other was actually worried about him? If he had actually known where Eret had been... He opens his mouth to ask for clarification as to why when Tubbo steps outside, closing the door behind him.

The brunette doesn’t notice Eret for a moment before his expression brightens. “Eret, you’re back!” Before the Abyssal knows it his arms are preoccupied with the teen. “I thought something had happened, you’re not hurt are you?”

“Uh- no?” Eret stutters from the sudden affection, but his words don’t seem to matter because Tubbo looks him over anyway before pulling away from the hug. “I’m fine, I’m sorry for worrying you.” The words feel heavy in his mouth, and he can feel when his breath hitches as he’s reminded of where he’s been.

Thankfully the two teens don’t notice and Tubbo smiles. “As long as you’re back safe it’s okay!” Tommy makes noise in his impatience and Tubbo blinks as if remembering what he was doing. “Oh! Eret, do you wanna come with us? We’re gonna go watch the stars.”

It’s Eret’s guilt for worrying the teen that makes him agree. “Sure, I don’t see a reason not to.” Also a lie, he could think of a thousand reasons. Eret could feel his panic steadily growing the more he was around the two and he honestly didn’t want to be anywhere near them right now. It only reminded him of what he’d be forced to do.

“Come on then old man, stop staring off into space, we’re going to be looking at it in a minute anyway,” Tommy complains, snapping Eret out of his thoughts. He follows the two to a hill just outside L’manberg.

The hill oversaw all of L’manberg. Looking at the nation, the one he was going to betray in the next few days, made the memories from earlier that day resurface from where he’d buried them in his mind.

_Eret eyes the blond suspiciously. “And what if I don’t want to take the deal?”_

_The chuckle Dream gives is one full of threat. “I’m afraid I wasn’t giving you a choice. You can either take the deal or I’ll void each one of your friends, or… were they your family now?” His smile is sadistic, but Eret can see a hint of something else there. He doesn’t have time to focus on what that might have been._

_The threat was real, and he couldn’t risk it. Even if he had the ability to bring people out of the void, he would have to reveal what he is to do that and… the entire server knowing his secret was not a scenario he ever wanted to face._

_“Fine… I’ll take the deal. What do I need to do?”_

A tug on his jacket startles him out of the memory. “Eret?”

Tubbo is whispering, and he wasn’t sure why until he noticed Tommy sitting off in his own little world staring at the stars. Tubbo must have not wanted to distract him.

Eret doesn’t verbally respond, he can’t, not when the events from earlier make it feel like his world and mind are collapsing all at once. He hums softly in acknowledgement and Tubbo seems to take that as an answer enough.

Tubbo frowns for a moment before his frown turns into concern and he looks up at the older. “You’re shaking. Are you okay?”

Eret hadn’t even noticed. There’s a suffocating feeling threatening to overwhelm him, but Eret pushes it to the side long enough to respond. “Yeah, I uh… I’m gonna go for a walk, watch the stars with Tommy, I’ll-” Eret almost stops, but ignores the feeling that’s quickly spreading him. “I won’t take long.”

He can tell Tubbo wants to protest, but something must have made him decide against it because he just nods and wanders off to sit next to the blond.

Eret walks into the treeline a bit, forcing his shaky legs to continue walking until he’s broken line of sight through the trees. Then he’s running.

He doesn’t know where he’s running to, perhaps the answer is just away. Away from the people he’s come to call family, the very people he was practically being blackmailed to lie to and betray.

Eret stops running, leaning on a tree as nausea makes his throat close up. He wouldn’t be able to handle seeing the hurt on everyone’s faces when they realise what he’d done.

A familiar sensation runs over him and he practically flinches at the feeling. Magic. His, specifically, as if it was leaking out uncontrollably. The tree he was touching has a purple-ish black tint where his hand is pressing that is slowly spreading.

This is where Eret is slammed with a full-blown panic attack. He yanks his hand away from the tree. His magic shouldn’t be able to do that. It shouldn’t be going out of control. He may not be like other Abyssals and have someone to teach him, but he grew up with his abilities and controlled them fine. So what the hell was going on?

Now that Eret’s felt it, he can feel his magic building up as his breathing continues to spiral out of control. "No... No no no..." He mutters with just enough air as he continues moving, frantically stumbling past trees.

His control was perfect, so this new feeling of his magic acting against his will was terrifying and only built on his already existing panic.

He probably walks for several minutes before stopping, the passing of time not making sense in his state. A headache starts to build behind his eyes and he brings a hand to his temple, groaning in displeasure. He just had a momentary moment of panic and everything suddenly went downhill. Why was his body reacting like this? Did… did Dream do something to him? No, even with Dream’s power there was no possibility of him knowing what Eret was. 

The Abyssal felt like he couldn't take a proper breath, his chest was tight and his attempts at calming down seemed to do nothing. He felt that he couldn’t keep running but the thought of staying put sent chills down his spine, and it wasn’t because of what might hurt him out here.

It was usually dangerous at night, but apparently, the mobs sensed whatever kind of power his magic was exactly, and steered clear of him.

"Eret?!"

The mentioned man flinches at the voice that cuts through the trees. Tubbo. Right, he had basically just run off with little explanation, of course, the teen would look for him, especially if Tubbo cared about him as much as it seemed.

Despite knowing the logic behind the frantic shouting of his name Eret moves away from the direction of the voice, quieting pained gasps for air. He couldn't understand why he was running, why he felt like he had to get away.

His head pulses and he can’t help the pained whimper that comes from him as he slows to a stumble, squeezing his eyes shut and tangling his fingers into his hair. The pain dies down slightly and he opens his eyes again.

The world around him pulses, and he feels like he might vomit from the waves of pain crashing against his skull so he stops completely, breathing heavily. Black and purple-tinted lines run across Eret’s vision and he has to resist the urge to tear off his sunglasses and throw them somewhere off into the darkness as his eyes strain to take in what they’re seeing. Nausea runs through him making him dizzy as his vision blurs further.

The cracks and lines slowly ate away at the nature surrounding him, forming holes and his heart stops when he realises what he’s seeing.

Eret looks into the void and terror fills him as it stares right back. His breath hitches with fear despite his ability to seemingly not have enough all at once. He shouldn’t be able to see across the barrier that separated the two dimensions, but the purple and black environment bleeding into the overworld was enough to show that he could.

This made no sense. He wasn’t capable of doing something like this, and even if he was, he would do _anything_ to not see that dimension again.

“Eret!”

At the sound of a voice so close Eret whips around in surprise and fear, almost falling over due to his distorted balance. The teen wasn’t in sight yet, but he must have had a general idea where he was. Tubbo’s voice being so close means he had to have found him somehow, no- no, not somehow, it made sense, Eret had stopped running. He stopped moving completely, of course, Tubbo would eventually catch up. It was hard for Eret to tell that he wasn’t in motion due to the sickening spin the world was currently doing.

Thankfully his panicked breathing is calming down a little from the distraction of the void and his chest doesn’t ache, but now his head feels like it’s splitting open. In an attempt to ease the pain, he presses the heel of his hand to his temple. The pressure provides little relief, but the motion is slightly comforting nonetheless.

“Eret…?”

He flinches at Tubbo suddenly standing in front of him, his presence going unnoticed through the pain. Eret opens his eyes, not even sure when he had closed them in the first place.

The teen looks concerned, eyes filled with worry as he looks Eret over. “You’re hurt. What’s going on?”

It takes a few seconds longer than normal to process the question being asked, but even when he does Eret just lets out a small noise of discomfort. Talking seemed like far too much work, and he wasn’t even sure himself what was wrong.

Tubbo’s expression somehow gains more worry. “We should get back to the town, you’re obviously in pain and it’s dangerous out here.” The teen slowly reaches out in concern.

Regardless of Tubbo’s intentions, Eret ends up flinching back a step, afraid that if they made contact his magic would lash out, but something catches his foot. It was like something had grabbed him, wrapping around his ankle to trip him up. He ends up doing exactly that and ends up on this back, coughing as the air is knocked out of him from the impact. He blinks, the pain abruptly stopping and leaving him dazed and confused.

He stays on his back for a while, eyes closed and breathing deeply as he gathers his senses into something coherent. The silence of his surroundings unnerves him. Eret sits up, and when he opens his eyes he's hit with the realisation that he’s not in the overworld any longer. Darkness with a purple tint was all around him. The truth of where he is settling in when he stands and comprehends that he was in the void. He could still see tears and holes showing the overworld, but they were slowly shrinking, his vision clearing slightly as they do.

The purple darkness taunted him, stretching on for infinity. As an Abyssal he should have felt safe, it should have felt like coming home again, but the dark press of the abyss against him was unsettling, suffocating. He never felt comfortable in the void even if it was supposed to be his nature, it was just too quiet and dark. There was this strange concept of it being too dark to see three feet in front of you, but clearly being able to see your own body as if it was bright.

The silence is starting to get to Eret when it's broken by Tubbo falling into the void from one of the rifts, practically into the other who reaches out and stops him from hitting the ground. "Tubbo? What are you doing here?" Eret cringes, hating the way his voice is swallowed by the void with a tiny bit of echo.

Tubbo gives a grateful smile at the catch before looking around. "I don't know. I saw you fall into the rift and followed after you. I didn't know you were an Abyssal."

At the name, Eret pales. He must not cover his sudden worry and fear because Tubbo is holding his hands up.

"No no, it's okay, I'm one too!"

The silence that follows is more deafening than it would be in the Overworld.

Eret blinks. "What?" It's less of a question and more of the only thing he can think to say in this situation.

The younger laughs softly, almost nervously, putting his hands down. "I'm an Abyssal. That's why I knew you were one when you accidentally made the rift and it led to the void. I think it's really cool, I've never met another one before."

The information has finally sunk in and all Eret can feel is a relief washing over him. Voidbound and Abyssals were not treated kindly by many people, there were even ones that would actively hunt them down. He wasn't sure he was ready to reveal to his friends what he was quite yet. "Yeah… I've met one before, but it wasn't really a worthwhile experience." He shifts, still feeling unease with the vastness of the area.

The teen looked comfortable as he stood in front of the other. "I would ask how we got here but I'm pretty sure I know the answer. What's going on? You looked like you were in pain, and even before that something was on your mind."

Eret felt comfort from how concerned Tubbo was for him, just as much as the words made him hurt at what he'd need to do. “The pain stopped as soon as I got here, I’m okay just…” He just had to decide whether to tell Tubbo the truth or not. Dream never specifically said he couldn't tell anyone, he just told him that he needed them to be in the trap. "Um…" Eret wasn't even sure how to start, already feeling paranoid that Dream would somehow find out. "Dream kidnapped me earlier and blackmailed me into betraying L'manberg." Tubbo's eyes widen and Eret continues, speaking faster in his distress. "He said he was going to void all of you, and I didn't know what to do because I couldn't pull them from the void and reveal that I was an Abyssal because of hunters. I couldn't tell anyone because I don't even know if they'd believe me and I didn't know if Dream would void you all because I spoke. I didn't know what to do an-and when I saw you and Tommy I couldn't help but think of the fact I'd be b-betraying you all and I-"

"Eret, please stop and breathe." Tubbo interrupts, realising the other was panicking again.

He does as Tubbo asks, taking in shaky breaths as his legs threatened to give out under him. His hands are also shaking and he has to resist the urge to bury them in his hair. This wasn't like him, he was the calm and collected one, with a mischievous streak. He decides there that he hates this feeling, of having no control over his own body or reactions.

Eret has distracted himself a bit with his wayward thoughts and notices he's a bit calmer now. He's still shaking but at least he can speak without panicking. "I don't know why but I was driven into a panic after I remembered the deal. I just felt like I had to get away and then my magic started going crazy." He explains the events, making sure to keep his breathing even as he does.

Tubbo hums, frowning slightly as he thinks. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that problem before, and I’ve never seen anyone have that either. It’s definitely not normal, I think we can both agree on that. You would probably have more experience than me, you are older after all.”

"That uh… actually might not be true." Eret gives a sheepish look, holding back a nervous laugh. "I've uh, only known that I was an Abyssal for a few years now, I grew up in the Overworld. Ended up there when I was young and had no clue what Voidbounds and Abyssal even were. I only started learning about them shortly before I found out I was one. You grew up in the Beyond, right?" Eret saw the look Tubbo had when he entered the void earlier, one of comfort, like coming back home that Eret would never feel when in this place. He avoids taking in the surroundings devoid of an environment of any calibre.

The younger nods, as Eret suspected he would. "Yeah, I did until a few years ago I left and met Tommy and Wilbur. I have to admit I haven’t really been in the void much since I left, I supposed I missed it." He shakes his head slightly. "That’s not important right now. The situation is that we both have no clue what's up with your magic so there's not a lot we can do about it at the moment. We might have to ask someone who might know more for advice on what to do, but we can focus on that later. We can also talk about the deal with Dream later, but for now, we should get back" Tubbo looks around at the void around them before looking back at Eret. "I am awful at making rifts, they never go where I want them to. Is your magic stable enough to get us back?"

The older nods, his magic having stabilised after he entered the void. He holds his hand out, a large split hangs in the air like someone had taken a knife and cut between realities. The rift opens wider as it forms in front of them and Eret motions for Tubbo to go first before following behind.

The low chirp of crickets and the leaves rustling from the gentle wind was immediately comforting to Eret. He takes a deep breath, glad to be out of the stillness of the void. He could feel the ground below him and despite closing his eyes for a moment he didn’t feel lost in the vastness.

As the two stand there the older can't help but share his thoughts. "You know… despite being from the Beyond, I've never found comfort in the void. It still freaks me out."

Tubbo smiles, not a single hint of judgement in his expression. Though in all honesty, did Eret really expect him to? The teen was incredibly too accepting. "I've always found comfort in it. The night sky reminds me of it, that's why I like watching the stars so often. The void is like a galaxy just… devoid of all the stars. I can see why it would be unsettling to most. If you didn't know you were an Abyssal I'm guessing you don't really remember living in the Beyond." He starts walking back to where Tommy was likely still sitting since it had only been a few minutes. Eret follows beside him, processing the words.

"Not at all. I only saw the void and the Beyond when…" He trails off, remembering the events that led to him ending up there in the first place. It’s an automatic reaction when Eret's fingers reach up to his glasses to brush against the frame. He can almost feel the pain of the initial injury before he pulls his head out of those thoughts and puts his hand back to his side. "Something… happened, and I ended up in a part of the Beyond where a Voidbound found me and basically told me what I was. I learned about Abyssals and Voidbound from them, along with the research I had done before I was… It- it’s not important. Sorry, I’m not really used to talking about myself, I’m not sure I’m ready quite yet." He’s already mentally begging Tubbo not to ask, feeling a bit sick from the memories.

The younger perks up regardless of Eret’s reluctance to share. "That's okay! I can talk about how I got to the Overworld and met Tommy!"

"Only if you want to."

And so Tubbo does just to pass the time as they walked back to town. Eret hadn’t realised he’d gone so far. "I was living in the Beyond until I was about twelve. One day I accidentally made a rift for the first time and left. I didn't even know I was an Abyssal, I just thought I was a Voidbound. When I left I ended up in a random server and had no clue how to get back. I wandered for a bit before I was found, though it was more like I found him. A boy around my age, he was lost as well, having wandered away from his house. He looked close to crying, and still tried to keep up the bravery act." Tubbo chuckles. "Even though he told me he didn’t need it I decided to help him find his way back home." His eyes light up and he smiles. "That was the first time I met Tommy.”

Eret could tell it was a good memory from the way Tubbo spoke about it alone.

“We were able to find his house again and that’s where I met Phil for the first time. He was so worried about Tommy and had been looking for him since Tommy wandered off. He told him to always stay with Wilbur when exploring and that he was glad nothing bad had happened. That’s when Tommy brought me up, that I helped him. Phil introduced himself, being Tommy’s father. He noticed I had a player ID and I wasn’t just a boy from a neighbouring village so he grew confused as to how I even got there. Apparently, I ended up in a private server of the family. Since Tommy kept butting in and vouching for me, Phil allowed me to stay as long as I was okay with it. I didn’t care too much about going back to the Beyond, plus I didn’t even know how to go back so I agreed to stay with them. Eventually, I basically became a part of the family. Phil, who is probably the closest to a father figure I have, along with Tommy and his older brother Wilbur, both of which you obviously know. Then there’s Wilbur's twin, Techno. He’s not really a people person so I don’t think you’ve met him yet unlike Tommy and Wilbur.”

Eret stops him. "Wait. Techno as in Technoblade?"

The younger squints before rolling his eyes playfully. "He's still using that title? Yeah, that's him though I think he’s just referred to as The Blade now or something. We don’t talk too often."

“Wait, so you’re telling me that Tommy and Wilbur are related to _the_ combat God, Techno.” Eret lowers his voice to a whisper for the moment. _“Biologically?”_ They didn't even look anything alike, though Eret hadn't seen Techno in person he knew the general description and it just wasn't possible.

That gets a laugh out of Tubbo. “No, not biologically. They are related though, but it's through bonds instead of blood. They all grew up together. Phil adopted Techno when he was really young, before Tommy was born. Techno and Wilbur are twins because Wilbur just decided they would share a birthday when Techno revealled he didn't have one.”

The information made more sense now, but was still hard to accept as true despite it coming from Tubbo who essentially grew up with the family. However, regardless of it not being biological, the truth that Wilbur and Tommy are related to Technoblade? The siblings should at least have the same skillset since they grew up together, shouldn’t they? Tommy used a sword, and he was still nowhere near as advanced as Techno with an axe. Then Eret wasn’t even sure he’d ever seen Wilbur pick up a weapon besides a crossbow before, and while he had good aim it wasn’t anything you’d expect from Techno’s brother, let alone apparent twin. He’d never met Phil but he imagines if that’s where Techno got his skill from then Wilbur and Tommy, maybe even Tubbo, had to have some kind of combat training.

Eret mentally reminds himself to not piss off the family, but that’s difficult with what he has to do. “So… the deal with Dream.” He lowers his voice, as he notices they're closer to the nation now and he doesn’t want Tommy to overhear him. “He wants me to lure you all into a trap. Some bunker a little ways away from L’manberg. He’s planning on ambushing you all there and killing you. He promised me he wouldn’t void you all, it’s just some kind of tactic to get you all to think you’re losing the war. He said he would give me status as King if I accepted, but if I didn’t then… well you know already…” He can’t say it again. The thought of his friends being stuck in that dark place makes him nauseous.

“Well… do you want to be King?”

Eret stops walking once more, looking at Tubbo like he has two heads. “What? What kind of question is that? It’s not a matter of becoming King, it’s a matter of betraying you all.”

A thoughtful look crosses the teen’s face as he slows to a stop. “All Dream is really doing is killing us, which yeah kinda sucks, but it doesn’t really mean anything in the end. If he thinks it will give him power then let him go through with it, you only have something to gain, being king. However, if you decide not to become king and Dream decides to void everyone it’s not like they’d be stuck there. I can get them out, I don’t really care if they know I’m an Abyssal.”

There’s a high amount of unexplainable fear Eret feels at that sentence. He grabs the other brunette by the shoulders, kneeling in front of him. “No, no Tubbo you can’t. You’ll be killed if the-” Eret cuts himself off before continuing. “There are things you don’t understand. Some people hunt Abyssals their entire lives. Being in this private server will not save you from them. If anyone you tell decides to spread the word that you’re an Abyssal there’s nothing they won’t do to kill you.” At Tubbo’s unalarmed and calm expression Eret grimaces. “You can’t tell anyone what we are, and especially don’t tell anyone your name. Please promise me this.”

Tubbo nods despite it being obvious he’s not phased by the existence of these hunters. “Okay, I promise. Phil is the only one who knows I’m an Abyssal, but he won’t say anything to anyone about it and he doesn’t know my true name.”

Eret lets go and stands up, sighing in relief. “If you think so… and thank you for promising. I just don’t want to see what they do to Abyssals happen to you.” Tubbo gives a curious and confused look to Eret, but the older actively avoids it. The teen didn’t need to know exactly what happened when you were caught.

The two continue walking in silence and as they reach the area Tommy was waiting at Tubbo whispers. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t.” Eret shakes his head, stopping himself from running his hands over his face. He suddenly feels exhausted. “I'm sorry I made you think that. I’m not upset just… this whole thing feels wrong, and I’m worried about you. ”

"You have time Eret, and I'll be okay. I have been so far." Tubbo sends a reassuring smile and the two leave the treeline. Tubbo settles down next to Tommy, who miraculously stayed the entire time, granted they couldn't have been gone for more than twenty minutes.

"Damn, about time you two get back. Enjoy your chat?" Tommy snarks, as he lets himself fall onto his back and close his eyes.

Eret sits next to Tubbo when the teen pats the grass beside him. "It was...meaningful.” He mumbles, unsure of what to say.

Tubbo nods, eyes on the sky. “It was a good chat. I talked about you.” 

There’s a long pause before Tommy opens one eye to look at the brunette. “Better have been good things.”

Tubbo’s become distracted looking at the stars, so Eret, avoiding the sky’s gaze, speaks for him. “He talked about when the two of you met. He looked pretty happy talking about it, so it must have been a good memory for the two of you.”

“Hell yeah, it was! If I hadn’t found Tubbo who knows where he’d be today and we would have never met!” Tommy shouts excitedly.

Eret chuckles at the incorrect fact, but says nothing against it, letting Tommy tell it his way. "Tubbo said you and Wilbur were related, as well as Techno. What was it like growing up for you Tommy?"

Tommy sits up, looking at the brunette. "I would say it was pretty normal. Our dad was pretty fucking cool to be taking care of us all. Tubbo and I would always go off and explore without telling him. Wilbur was always starting fights with everything and Techno couldn't stand being by himself for more than five minutes, always clinging to Wil or Phil." Tommy pauses for a moment to think of something and Eret takes the opportunity to say something.

"Wait wait, Wilbur was the one picking fights? Then you're telling me that Techno, and we're talking about the same Techno as in Technoblade the combat god, was shy and clingy?"

"Well yeah Big E, they were kids," Tommy says this like it’s obvious and that he isn't a child himself. "Wilbur and Tech grew out of it and into what's pretty much the badasses they are now."

"Wilbur? Badass?" Not necessarily a word Eret would use to describe the man. He'd seen what power Wilbur has with words alone though and how influential he was. Maybe that was 'badass' in a sense.

The blond laughs. "Oh yeah he is, you have no idea. He used to win against Techno in fights all the time. Wilbur doesn't really do combat anymore, not even training. I’m not sure how strong you are but even now that he’s stopped training Wilbur could probably still fuck you up."

Add that to the ‘reasons to not piss off the family’ list Eret’s started mentally keeping track of. It was hard to imagine someone like Wilbur taking up a weapon and fighting. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Eh.” Tommy waves him off. “Don’t be so serious Eret, it’s that big of a deal. I’m just saying. Wilbur couldn’t hurt a fly now anyway.” Tommy lays back down, yawning. He glances at Tubbo before closing his eyes. “I’m not sure why he’s so obsessed with the stars, it’s almost as bad as his bee addiction. He never used to do this when I first met him.”

Eret doesn’t respond. Mostly because he’s sure Tommy is just thinking out loud, but some part is because he does know the reason. He takes a deep breath as he finally looks up at the sky.

Feelings of calm wash over him, even as his chest tightens at the similarities. He lays back, fingers grasping as the grass beside him and he almost pulls it out before releasing. 

Tomorrow he will decide what to do about Dream, but for now… he’ll just lay here. Under a dark blue sky dusted with millions of white specks. He bites back a small laugh, a smile breaking out over his face. Tubbo was right. It reminded him of the void as well. Despite how similar the two looked Eret could feel comfortable because the void is full of stars here.

Eret closes his eyes against the view, feeling at peace for the moment.

Until tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: This was edited after the release, like- weeks after release oops, to state that Techno is not biologically related to Tommy and Wilbur but adopted by Phil like Tubbo was, this was due to irl Techno stating that the family dynamic was not canon and kinda screwing over Phil and Wilbur's canon. My co-creator and I decided to change CAU's canon so it makes more sense and we like it more this way honestly and makes more sense compared to Techno's previous background. 
> 
> I have no clue what was going on with Eret's magic tbh. It was likely just stress and abilities he had no clue he had. "What did he do to that tree?" I hear no one ask. Well non-existent questioner, I don't know :D Honestly that was just the void sneaking through Eret to touch the tree, ultimately killing part of it because the void is not something anything living should fuck with.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed, this took far too long.
> 
> Please yell at me in the comments, I love rambling about my AU.
> 
> Or if you wanna yell at me somewhere else feel free to yell at me via my Twitter [@AyonixAni](https://twitter.com/AyonixAni). I've started posting about upcoming fic ideas if you wanna know what's on the agenda next.


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